Railway-switch



(No Model.)

0. C. MONTAGUB.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 371,470. Patented Oct. 11,1887.

29a 0 as as I I I UNTTED STATES PATENT Orrrcs.

CHARLES CARTER MONTAGUE, OF AUGUSTA, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF OXE-HALF TOJOHN HORNE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 37131670, dated October11, 1887.

Application filed August 16, 1856. Ttrncwed August 16, 1867. Sirial N0.Ji7,107. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES CARTER Mox- TAGUE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Augusta, in the county of \Voodrutf and State ofArkansas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, and in which Figure l is a top view of arailway-switch with my improvement applied, showing part of a track.Fig. 2 is transverse section taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and tare enlarged I5 detail views illustrating the cam that moves the switchtongues or points, Fig. 3 showing the normal position of the cam withrelation to the bar or arm it operates, and Fig. 4 the position to whichthe parts are moved by an approaching train for tripping the detentwhich holds the switch-tongues in position to side-track the train, andallowing said tongues to be moved automatically into line with the themain track. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate the device against which thetrain impinges when approaching in one direction, and which operates tomove the cam shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In Fig. 5 the arm is shown upright.In

Fig. 6 it is shown down in the direction it turns when operating thecam, and in Fig. 7 it is shown down in the direction it turns when notoperating the cam. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are views, similar to Figs. 5, (5,and 7, ot' the device against which a train approaching from theopposite direction impinges-for shifting the operating cam. Figs. 11.and 12 show the stand and parts located at the stand for (when acting inconnection with the other parts) releasing the operat-ing-lever.

This invention relates to an automatic device for use in connection withrailwayswitches, and by which aswitch is operated by the train it itshould be set to the siding, the object being to prevent accidents,principally on fast trains, by preventing them from being sidetrackedwhere the switch has been accidentally left set to the side track. I

Referring to the drawings, A represents the main track, aud B the sidetrack.

A represents the ends of the main rails, which are moved to switch thetrain from the main to the side tracks, or vice versa. The rails A areprovided with the ordinary spring red, O, by which they are moved intoline with the main rail A when not held into line with the side track bythe operating'lever D of the switch.

E represents the staiuhprovided with a notch, E, into which a cross baror plate. D, on the lever D, tits to hold the points A back into linewith the side rails B. and provided with a notch, 3 in which the bar Dfits to hold the rails A into line with the rails of the main track. Thelever D is connected to the rails A by a rod, D, in the usual manner.

\Ve will suppose now that a train is an preaching on the main track andthe switch is set for the side track,(when thelever D would be in theposition shown in Fig. 11 and the rails A would be in the position shownin dot- 7o ted lines,Fig. 1.) The pilot of the engine will strike anarm, G, pivoted at G to a bracket, H, secured to the ties, as shown inFig. 1, between the rails of the track, and force it over from theposition shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 9. This movementof the arm pushes forward a rod or bar, I, held and guided at its end bya pin, 1,fitting in a curved slot, H, in the bracket H, the armpreferably having a notch, G, fitting the pin l. The forward movement ofthe rod Icauses the movement of a cam, J, to which the rod is connectedat J, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. The cam has an inclined facebearing against a projection, L, extending upward from a bar or rod, L,that extends to one side of the track. where its outer end issnpported'by a pin, M, fitting in a slot, L", of a head, L, formed uponthe rod or bar L. The pin M is secured to the lowerend of a lever orlevers, 0 X, pivoted at N to the switch-stand E. There may be oneot'these levers N on each side of the stand, as shown in Fig. 1, both ofwhich would be made to turn together by being made to turn with thepivot-pin F. The up- 5 per ends of these lovers are turned inward, asshown at N, to cross the notch E, so that when the rod L is pulled inthe direction shown by the arrow, Fig. 2, by the action of the cam J, asdescribed, the upper ends, F [00 0f the lovers N will be raised, asshown in Fig. 12, lifting the plate D out of the not h E, which willrelease the switch-points A and allow them to be drawn over into linewith the rails of the main track by means of the usual spring devicewith which these move into line with the main track should it be leftopen through neglect, as is frequently the case, thus avoiding a greatdanger to which fast-running trains are subjected.

The rodI extends in both directions from the cam J, and each end of itis provided with a pivoted arm, G.

In order that the same face of the camJ shall operate upon the arm Lwhichever way the train is moving, I connect the rod I on one side ofthe switch-stand to the arm G above .the pivot'G and on the other sidebelow the pivot. The form I have describedthat is, where it is connectedabove the pivotis shownin Figs. 8, 9, and 10. In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 it isshown as connected, to the arm below the pivot, where the arm has alowerportion, G provided with a notch, G, fitting the pin 1. The trainapproaching the switch from this direction would strike the arm andforce it from the-position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6 andcause the cam J to move in the same direction 'as it would be moved whenthe other arm is struck, or, in other words, to be moved from theposition shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4. \Vhen the cam, ismoved it is returned to its normal position by means of a spring, I,surrounding the'rod I. *vVhen the train has passed the switch and comesagainst an arm, it moves it over into the position shown in Figs. 7 and10 without operating the cam.

I have shown the cam double or with two inclined faces, and it wouldthus be made if the rod I were in each instance connected above thepivot-pin G of the arms G. The arm L is pulled down, after beingoperated, .by a spring, 0, which acts also to return the levers N fromthe position shown in Fig. 12 to the position shown in Fig. 11, so asnot to protrude above the bottom of the notch E.

It will be seen that this device does not in any way interfere with theoperation of the switch by hand.

In Figs. 8, 9, and 10 the arm G is shown as provided with-a spring, P,engaging beneath a lug, P, to restore the arm to its upright positionafter being moved over by the train into the position shown in Fig. 10.

The levers N can be operated, ifdesired, by means of a treadle,L,-extending beneath a projection, L, on the rod L, so that by simplypressing upon the outer end of the treadle the levers N will beoperated. In this instance the pin M should be placed forward of thepivot-point N of the lever N, and when the head of the arm L is raisedby the treadle a train-man to operate the switch while theoperating-lever proper is locked by simply elevating the enlarged headof the rod L by the mechanism already described.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with the main and side tracks,the switch-points, and means for moving said points,the pivoted arms,cam to which the pivoted arms are connected, rod against which the cambears, switch-stand provided with notches to receive a plate on theswitchlever, and levers pivoted to the switch-stand and connected to thesaid rod, substantially as set forth.

.2. The combination, with the main ar d side tracks, the switch-points,and means for moving said points, of the pivoted arms located in theline of the track, acam, a rod forming a connection between the pivotedarms and the cam, a second rod provided with a projection against whichthe cam bears,switch-stand provided with notches to rcceivea bar on theoperating lever of the switch, pivoted levers with ends ext-endingacross one of the notches of the stand, and connection between the lowerends of the levers and the said camrod, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the main and side tracks, the switch-points,and means for moving said points, of the pivoted notched arms located inthe line of the track, rod provided with pins engaging the notches inthe arms, cam to which the rod is connected, rod provided with aprojection bearing against the cam, switch-stand provided with notchesto receive a plate on the switch-operating lever, and levers pivoted tothe stand and connected to the said cam-rod by a pin, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

4. Thecombination, with the main and side tracks, the switch-points, andmeans for moving the points, of the pivoted arms, rod to which the armsare connected, cam to which the rod is connected, rod extendinglaterally from said cam and provided with a slot at its outer end,levers connected to said arm by a pin fitting in said slot, stand towhich the levers are pivoted, and which is provided with a notch toreceive a plate on the operating-lever of the switch, and spring 0, forrestoring said levers to their normal position, substantially as setforth.

5. In combination with the main and side rails and switch-points,operating-lever for moving the switch-points, a stand provided with anotch to receive the plate on the lever, pivoted levers secured to thestand, spring-rod connected to the lower end of the levers, and atreadle engaging beneath the rod, by which the levers may be operated torelease the plate from a notch in the stand, substantially as set forth.

CHAS. CARTER MONTA UE.

In presence of T. O. BRUNSON, F. D. DALE.

